HeartX Accelerator announces 5 startups for 2022 program

HeartX, a startup business accelerator powered by HealthTech Arkansas and MedAxiom, along with seven Arkansas healthcare providers have selected the five startup healthcare companies that will participate in the 2022 program.

HeartX is a cardiovascular-focused healthcare accelerator that facilitates guaranteed hospital pilot projects and clinical trials for accomplished, early-stage companies bringing new cardiovascular innovations to market. Its supporters and partners include Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Arkansas Heart Hospital, Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, Conway Regional Health System, St. Bernards Healthcare, and Washington Regional Medical Center.

The five companies selected for the 2022 HeartX program are:

Acorai
Helsingborg, Sweden

Acorai produces a device for heart failure management through non-invasive intracardiac pressure monitoring. It is handheld and uses multi-modal sensor technologies and a proprietary machine learning system based on unique insights into flow and pressure dynamics.

Echo IQ
Sydney, Australia

Echo IQ uses AI to support the diagnosis of structural heart conditions. The AI helps to identify at-risk patients classified by guidelines and patients who have a risk phenotype but fall outside of traditional guidelines.

iCardio.ai
Los Angeles, California

The iCardio.ai Brain is an AI software that can intake an entire echocardiogram and produce a full cardiologist report. The software is trained to recognize multiple pathologies and can be used to more efficiently identify at-risk patients, increase visibility into abnormalities, and increase the accuracy and consistency of diagnosis.

MediWhale
Seoul, South Korea

MediWhale has created Reti-CVD, an AI analytic tool that uses retinal images to identify people with high CVD risk. Developed using large global epidemiological databases, the analytic identifies subtle features in retinal vasculature for precision CVD risk calculation.

SafeBeat Rx
Chico, California

SafeBeat Rx is an at-home kit that includes machine-learning software which automates ECG measurements and recommends drug dosing to physicians, as well as FDA-approved devices (mobile ECG; mobile cardiac telemetry; wearable cardioverter defibrillator). This kit enables at-home initiation of the most efficacious antiarrhythmic drugs, replacing a 3-day hospitalization.

“We are excited to reveal the new cohort and introduce them to Arkansas and the powerful teams available to them at all of our healthcare provider partners around the state,” said Jeff Stinson, director of HealthTech Arkansas. “This year’s companies are exceptionally strong, due in no small part to MedAxiom’s contributions as our program partner. We’re proud of our role in healthcare innovation as the only program in the country that guarantees hospital pilot projects for early-stage companies, which produces exceptionally accomplished cohorts.”

Representatives from each of the seven healthcare providers interviewed applicants and selected companies with technologies that have the potential to advance cardiovascular innovation and cardiac care at their respective organizations. Each company will receive $150,000 of investment capital as well as complete and total access to clinicians and administrators while executing their pilot projects with Arkansas hospitals.

“The cardiovascular industry is steeped in innovation and technology, which has resulted in impressive advancements in care delivery for patients around the world. MedAxiom and HealthTech Arkansas formed HeartX to accelerate cardiovascular innovation and bring new solutions to the market by connecting early-stage companies with healthcare delivery networks. The HeartX 2022 cohort companies share MedAxiom’s mission of transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health. We look forward to working closely with these innovators to deliver new options to cardiovascular organizations and patients,” said Joe Sasson, PhD, MedAxiom’s chief commercial officer and executive vice president of Ventures.

HeartX is hosting an event on November 1st at 5:30 p.m. to introduce the five startup companies selected for the 2022 accelerator program. The event will be held at Arkansas Heart Hospital Encore Medical Center. The event is free and open to the press and the public.

More information can be found at this link.